In the current information-based world, any given electronic product may be widely proliferated. Production and sales of a large numbers of units is common, given the ubiquity of information processing and communications needs. A particular circuit board, for example, may be fielded in quantities in the tens of thousands or more.
Given this degree of proliferation, it has become common for such electronic products or devices to be modified in an unauthorized manner. Such modifications, or “hacks”, may be performed for purposes of enhancing or otherwise changing the performance of these devices. The goal of such hacks may be to tailor a device to other needs, or make them compatible with other components or systems, for example. Other hacks may represent attempts to extract data. Such modifications are typically beyond the control of the original manufacturer.
Further, such modified products may then be bought and sold through nontraditional marketing channels. A hacked circuit board may be bought or sold on black or gray markets. The result is that a user may come into possession of a product, originally built by a known manufacturer, but the user may have little confidence in the product's ostensible performance parameters. The capabilities of the product and its compatibility with other devices or systems may be in doubt.